Panic bolt



July 17, 1928. 1,677,271

kw. J. CARROLL PANIC BOLT Filed Aug. 29, 192:5 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 17, 192.8. f 1 5772271 w. J. CARROLL I PANIC BOLT Filed Aug. 29, 1923 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Patented July 17, 1928.

Unite-e STATES PATEEQT WILLIAM J. CARROLL, OF WEST HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNQR TO. SARGEN'T 8: PANY, OF NEXV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

PANIC BOLT.

Application filed August 29, 1923. serial No.: 659,969.

r ,This invention relates to e nergencyexit latches or so-called panicbolt latches of the type which are applied" to doors of school houses, theaters, department stores orfother buildings for facilitating exit Where a fire or the like causes panic, and are usually applied to one .of a; pair of swinging doors Where one' of the doors normally remains closed.

The invention relates more particularlyto panic bolt In'echa'nismin Whiclrthe door is provided with bolts adapted to engage keepers or strike plates on thelintel and floor, respectively, andarrang ed to be released' from said strike platesor keepers by the operation of a ani'c bar on the inner face: of the door: n some of its aspects, however; the principles of my invention are not limited to this type of device, although shown" in connection therewith in the accompanying drawings i n It isnecessaryin such stri c'tures' to pro vide neclianisnr whereby; the bolts, when retracted'to pel'llllbtlle' door to open, will be retained in this retracted. position so that the door will f1eely' close;: although usually a spring is provided to urge the bolts normallyto protracted position. In

some instanceaia' detent is provided the bolt case to hold the bolt n retracted posiam nd; alngor stopfis provided on the door is closed, to release the boit and permit its actuation by the spring to protracted position. Such agniechanism, however, is more or less coinplexan lenpensive and not always positive in operation. I I

One object. of ray irui'ent ion is to overcon1e the' defects mentioned above and to provide a bolt which will remain in retracted or inoperative position \vl'i'eir the floor is open, but. which wil'l he nioved'to and autmati cally dogged in operative position when the .door is" closed;

A Another object of'my inveifitionis to providej a pivoted holt' whichjis moved to and flOrn operative posit'i'oi'i by rotary or A operativeposition by the r snal bolt operating rod or plunger,.,ancl' which will be i when in its closed position, and which Willnot be rendered inoperative if the door sags to any con'siderable extent, I

To these and other ends}, the invention consists in the novel features and combina tions of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

, In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. is an inside elevati'on al' View of a door having applied thereto a latch enibodying my improvements; V

Fig. 2 is a'seetionali view on line 2&2: of

Fig. 1, sho 'ving th d d; Y r I 3 isa: view snn il '1- toFig. 2, but shown. the "position" of the partsa's the door is being swung to open position 1 i Fig. is a front elevational vi'evv' of the panic" bolt mechanism showing the upper latch ineclianis'ii'r with the c as e reinoved';

I 5 is a sectional view of the uppcrbolt mechanism; I I Fig. 6? is aftopiplan view of the upper bolt mechanism on line 6 6 of Fig.- 2; and

Fig. 7 isa seotional View on line 77o.f v v "Fig; 2.. door. frametojcoact wrtlrthe detent, when the i have shown at 10' and; I l a pair of doors suchas are co'nimonly used inconnectionwith pnblic bnildin-gs, the door 1-1 being designed to remain; usually in closed position. The panic bolt: strncttire inclndes a bolt mechanismdesignated generally by. the numeral; 12

adapted tot-cooperate with a strike plate or keeperoir the'lintel and a second bolt mechanism 13 designed t o' coopera-t e' with a keeper inth'e flooror onthezthreshold of the door. These bolts are adapted to be operated by ineans mf leve-ror panicbar 1 lpivoted to an e's cu'tcli'eon" plate 15' and to the casewhich encloses the operating inechanisn'n' one i end of the panicliai"being provided with an operating finger 17 adapted to actuate the bolt controlling rods on plnngers 18 and I9. The" lower bolt mechanisiir 18' may be of any desired type', for instance,-tliat described in: the patent to 'i l. Voight, N'oi' 1,345,041, and, likewise, the bolt operating mechanism Wit-hinthe' case niayalso be similar to that described in saidfpatent," i

The; rods'118 and 19 extend within the ,case

Pil

16 and are provided with laterally disposed lugs 20 and 21, respectively, adapted to be engaged by the finger 17 to retract the operating rods into inoperative position, or the V .5 position assumed when the door is permitted to open. A spring 22 coiled about a post 23 on the case 16 is adapted to urge the bolts to protracted position so that they may engage the strike plates to hold the door closed.

The upper bolt mechanism 12 consists of a rotary or swinging bolt 25 pivoted to the case 26 at 27. This bolt is provided with a slot 28 adapted to engage a strike or keeper 7 .in the form of a rod or post 29 securedto a 15 keeper plate 30 mounted on the door lintel.

The. main body portion of the bolt 25 is,

as shown, substantially semi-circular in' shape and is provided with a finger 31 spaced from the main portion of the bolt so 1- .t-hat the slot 28 is presented between the two arts, the finger 31 being provided with a eveled face or edge 32 which is adapted to contact with the member 29 and properly guide it into the slot when the door closes.

The bolt is over-weighted, so as to normally hang substantially in the position shown in Fig. 3, with the'tail 32? in contact. with the rear wall of the case: 26. i

The lower end or tail portion of the bolt is 3' shaped to provide a flat face or shoulder 34 adapted to be engaged by a dogging member 35 secured to the upper end of the rod 19 I .to dog the bolt in operative position,- as

shown in Fig. 2. WVhenv the dog has been withdrawn and the door opened so that the bolt swings downwardly into the position shown in Fig, 3, it will beapparent that the tail piecel32 of the bolt lies in the path of the dogging member 35, so that it will be 7 impossible for this dogging member to return to its operative or dogging position, but, on the contrary, it will be restrained in its retracted position, shown in Fig. 3. Under these conditions, it will be in position toim- 'mediately spring upwardly behind the shoulder 34 under the influence of the spring 22 when the door is closed. and the bolt is rotated about its pivot due tothe action of th post 29 on the finger 31.

Y The operation of my device is as follows:

,Assuming that the door is open, the parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 3, except that the dogging member 35 will have been urged upwardly against the tail piece 5 f the bolt 25 by the spring 22. Assuming wherein the post 29 has moved substantially to the lower end of the slot and the tail piece 32 has been moved out of the path of the dogging member 35, atfwhioh time" theidogging member is moved upwardly, by the spring, behind the shoulder 34 to dog the bolt in position where it embraces the post 29 to hold the door closed. It will be apparent that in'this position of the parts, as shown in Fig. 2, the dooris securely held in closed position and may not be opened until the rod or plunger 19 is retracted by means of the panic bar 14 to permit the bolt 25to be urged in a clockwise direction from the position shown in this figure to the position shown in Fig. 3, which movement'will take place upon the opening of the door, due to the contact of the post 29 against the edge of the slot 28. It will be, of course, understood that when the door is open'ed and the panic bar 14 is released, it will be free to move from the position shown in Fig. 3 to its neutral'position shownin 2, independently of the return of the rods 18 and 19, to their protractedpositions, as the'finger 17 is not secured to the lugs 20 and 21, but, on the contrary, merelyimpinges thereagainst.

\Vhile I have shown and described a preferred embodiment ofmy invention, it will all th details shown, but is capable of modifieation and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scopeoi the appended claims. What I claim is:

be understood that it is not to be limited to l ll ' 1. In a panic bar latch mechanism, a

keeper plate adapted to be secured to a door frame and provided with a cylindrical jrod disposed in ahorizontal position, a "casing adapted to. be secured'to .a door and having a pivot member'extending transversely thereof, a bolt mounted on the pivot member to swing about a horizontal axis, said bolt being provided with a relatively deep slot to receive the rod on the keeper plate, the width of said slot being such as to receive the rod therein substantially without play in a direetion transversely of the slot, means for guiding said rod into said slot, and a rod extending longitudinally intothe casing and engaging the bolt below the pivot to dog it in door latching position.

2. In a panic bar latch mechanism, av

keeper plate adapted to besecured to a door frame and provided with a cylindrical rod disposed in a horizontal position, a casing adapted to be secured to a door and having a pivot member extending transversely'thereof, a bolt mounted on the pivot member toswing about a horizontal axis, said bolt being provided with a relatively deep slot to receivethe rod on the keeper plate, the width of said slot being such as to receive the rod therein substantially without play,

said bolt being provided with a finger extending outwardly therefrom at an angle to the 'sidesof said slot, said finger being pro-' vided with an abutment engaging face of substantial length extending at an angle to the adjacent face of said slot and adapted to guide said rod into said slot, and a rod extending longitudinally into the casing and engaging the bolt below the pivot to dog it into door latching position. v i

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of August, 1923.

WILLIAM J, CARROLL. 

